Synopsis:

In the next installment of the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series, follow Chaol on his sweeping journey to a distant empire.

Chaol Westfall has always defined himself by his unwavering loyalty, his strength, and his position as the Captain of the Guard. But all of that has changed since the glass castle shattered, since his men were slaughtered, since the King of Adarlan spared him from a killing blow, but left his body broken.

His only shot at recovery lies with the legendary healers of the Torre Cesme in Antica—the stronghold of the southern continent's mighty empire. And with war looming over Dorian and Aelin back home, their survival might lie with Chaol and Nesryn convincing its rulers to ally with them.

But what they discover in Antica will change them both—and be more vital to saving Erilea than they could have imagined.

Review:

The Lord now in front of Chaol’s name was a mockery. A mockery and a lie that Dorian had refused to abandon despite Chaol’s protests. Lord Chaol Westfall, Hand of the King. He hated it. More than the sound of wheels. More than the body he now could not feel beneath his hips, the body whose stillness still surprised him, even all these weeks later. He was Lord of Nothing. Lord of Oath-Breakers. Lord of Liars.

Well this is going to be one huge mess of a review I can already tell….The reason for this, you see, is that Chaol has been one of my favorite characters from the very moment we were first introduced to him in Throne of Glass. We’ve seen him as a tough and utterly loyal captain of the guard who saw that there was no reason Dorian should be trusting this dangerous assassin in their castle, to a young man falling in love with said assassin, to a shattered character who seemed utterly lost with only a sliver of hope that he could redeem himself and all that he’d done. So many people were so mad at Maas with how Chaol’s character was portrayed in Queen of Shadows and while I was ~disappointed~, I knew that characters go down certain paths for certain reasons that only their creator would know about. When I found out that we were getting more than just a novella about him, I was so excited. I just felt like we deserved to delve deeper into who he is as a character and hopefully see some growth and healing along the way.

Sartaq whispered in Nesryn’s ear, “I was praying to the Eternal Sky and all thirty-six gods that you’d say yes.” She smiled, even if he couldn’t see it.“So was I,” Nesryn breathed, and they leaped into the skies.

BOY DID WE EVER. Holy cow I was blown away by the care and consideration Maas put into the journey that my Chaol went through in this book. For those of you worried about him being in a chair and him being “fixed” by being able to walk in the end—have no fear.

I loved that Chaol’s journey to healing emotionally ran parallel with Yrene’s healing of his legs BUT that in the end, his emotional journey was what really mattered. View Spoiler »Yes, he was able to walk in the end in accordance with Yrene’s power supply BUT it didn’t even really matter. Through completing his journey and learning how to love himself, he learned that being in the chair, or having to use a cane for parts of the rest of his life didn’t make him any less of a person. He embraced that new part of himself which is such amazing progress from where he started. « Hide Spoiler Even though I can’t say that my legs have ever been impaired, I just hope that this is a good representation of acceptance and that people who struggle with having to use a cane, or brace, or walker will take heart with this story. And that people who DON’T struggle to walk (or with any disability) will realize how important it is to take a chance to understand what other people are going through and to help them know how strong they are. I hope that makes sense. I just felt like Maas did a really great job here and my heart was so full by the end of the book.

Yrene was smiling, and then she was laughing, as if she could not contain it inside her. Chaol thought it was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard. And that this moment, flying together over the sands, devouring the desert wind, her hair a golden-brown banner behind her … Chaol felt, perhaps for the first time, as if he was awake. And he was grateful, right down to his very bones, for it.

Overall this book, despite the heave themes of healing and accepting oneself, was a breath of fresh air. I didn’t realize how much I needed less Aelin and Rowan drama until I read a book that they weren’t in. DON’T GET ME WRONG, I love this entire series so much BUT I also feel like Empire of Storms was a clusterfuck of scheming and drama and craziness that actually made me want to not give it five stars at all.

Was there scheming and intrigue in this book? Yes. But, Chaol and Nesryn have always been two of the most no-nonsense people of this entire series so it stands to reason that I would like a book in which they are two of the main voices, a lot.

ANDDDD all of the new characters. And all of the Southern Continent. AND THE SHIPS. You guyssssss. View Spoiler » Chaol and Yrene are my new favorite couple under Nessian…what is their ship name?!?!? I need one. « Hide SpoilerSo many new amazing ones. Looooove love love Borte and Sartaq the best out of everyone else we’ve met in this book. And obviously loved when Chaol realized who had written the note for Yrene muahaha.

He could still speak with dignity and command whether he stood on his feet or was laid flat on his back. The chair was no prison, nothing that made him lesser.

Basically this book was just…soo good. All of the new things we learned too. You CAN’T skip this. No way. Like I got to the end and all I could think about was how much Maas has grown as a writer. There was nothing about this book that I didn’t like. And I loved what she added to the overall scheme of how the war will play out too, omg.

Not even going to get into the last Fireheart chapter……all I will say is that even if you didn’t like the direction of Chaol’s character in Queen of Shadows, please read this book. He deserves it. ♥

P.S. I freaking KNEW that owl with Maeve in Dornelle was going to be important. I need to know who the hell it is. I feel like that’s not really a spoiler that it’s mentioned because…if you had been paying attention in Heir of fire you would have already been suspicious from the beginning like me….any theories?

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